


Presents of Portland

by cozy_downpour



Category: USWNT - Fandom, woso
Genre: Christmas, F/F, Fluff, bagel bongo refrence, santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-18 03:23:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21970867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cozy_downpour/pseuds/cozy_downpour
Summary: Tobin Heath dons a red suit to bring some Christmas cheer to Portland.
Relationships: Preath - Relationship, Tobin/christen
Comments: 2
Kudos: 123





	Presents of Portland

“Remind me why I’m doing this again?” Tobin asks as she buckles the belt across her waist and looks in the mirror. 

“Tis the season Tobes, come on. You love these kids.” Emily chuckles as she hands Lindsey the white and red cap to tug on her head. The blonde leans down, pulling the cap down on Tobin’s head and grinning at her masterpiece. Tobin groans, turning on her heel to look at herself in a red suit. See it wouldn’t be too bad if it were  _ just _ a red suit. But it’s the week before Christmas and she is fondly thinking about her two tickets to LAX on her desk while wearing a Santa suit. Lindsey and Emily nixed the fat suit and the beard, but it was still Santa nevertheless with white-trimmed red pants and a red button-up with white cuffs.

“These kids are so lucky I love them.” She remarks, going to grab the bags full of toys the Thorns had thrown together at the last minute, during a holiday party. Mark mentioned during the party at providence park that the charity efforts the Timbers and Thorns do everything year had a few missing spaces for holiday gift-giving. The Timbers players headed home and left a couple of vacancies. Tobin was supposed to head ‘home’ herself but got wrapped up in this instead. She pushed her flight back, Christen couldn’t say no.

Lindsey and Emily decided to dress up as elves, grabbing their own buckets of toys to follow along Tobin with. 

“Hold on, I promised Christen-”

“If you take a photo I swear-” Tobin grumbled, trying to block her face at the flash Lindsey used with her phone. The younger girl rolled her blue eyes, putting her phone in her pocket and shaking her head. “You’re no fun, Toby,” She muttered as they headed out of the apartment complex. The three of them took Lindsey’s car to a community center that was hosting a daycare and a teen hang out for the week since school got off and several parents were still working. 

“So, you excited to head to LA?” Lindsey asks as they settle into her car. Tobin gives a shrug, 

“Home is wherever Christen is. I mean...this is our first Christmas together, so I hope,” Tobin trails off and looks out the window at the rainy street lights. Emily speaks up from the back, surprised at Tobin’s ‘nerves’. 

“Tob...Toby, you’ve been with Chris for years. You know her whole family, what’s there to be nervous about?” She asked between licks on a candy cane. Tobin makes a disgruntled face at the younger girl, crossing her arms a little. 

“It’s not really that...I just want it to be enough. With her mom gone, I have to be there for her. And I know my family understands, hell my mom even wanted to fly out,” Tobin starts to ramble off, closing her eyes for a moment. “I couldn’t let her do that. She acts like it’s no big deal but that’s a lot, and too much for a grieving family. No, I-I need it to be good.” 

Lindsey hums in the driver's seat, turning down the radio a bit as she turns a corner and sits at a light. She turned to look at Tobin, who under all her blush dusted cheeks looked incredibly small and vulnerable in the light from the street lamps. She rested her hand on Tobin’s knee. 

“Tobes. It’s okay to be nervous about not being good enough, but you can’t get overwhelmed. Christen wouldn’t expect that of you, that’s for sure. She would hate for you to feel like it has to be perfect. Being nervous means you care, and I know you. Remember when you met Shirley’s sister, you barely did anything. You weren’t scared, because you knew she didn’t matter in the long run.” 

Tobin sighs, leaning against the window. “I hate when you’re right. Stop being so wise, you’re younger than me for Christ sake!” She teases, staring out the window at the city amongst them. Lindsey pulled into a parking lot, nearest to the door as she could find.

Tobin made her way out of the car and to the curb, jumping over puddles so she didn’t get the cuffs of her pants wet. Portland was serving up a rainy Christmas, as usual. She headed into the building, leaning over the check-in desk.

“I uh heard there have been some very good kids here this year sir,” Tobin says with charm, her elves following behind with grins. 

“Some  _ very _ , very good kids,” Emily says loudly to attract attention. The security guard hands them each a name tag and a sign in sheet to log them in as kids start peering around the corner.

“ _ Santa _ ?” Came a few hushed whispers through the play area. Tobin turned her head to flash a smile at the nearest kid, a little boy poking his head out of the door with a train set in his hand. She stuck on her visitors tag, reading Santa in messy scrawl. 

“Okay Sonny and I will gather the children, you go sit in that chair and get ready.” Lindsey started, placing a hand on Tobin’s shoulder. The brunette winked, 

“Thank you my little elves.” She teased. Tobin walked around to the side of the daycare center, entering into a playroom. It was a smaller space but the kids were having a blast. Blocks built up in every corner, making castles, legos in another corner, an old GameCube hooked up to a tiny tv for the older kids. There was a picnic table full of arts and crafts, a supervisor busy hanging paper snowflakes across the windows. 

“Ho-ho-ho!? Happy holidays guys!” Tobin yelled excitedly into the room. All toys went flying as each kid scrambled up to her. 

“Santa? Is that really you?” “Santa’s not a girl!” “Where’s your sleigh?” “Who are you?” 

Tobin raised her hands at the impatient kids, laughing at their eagerness. They were around the ages of 5 to about 10. 

“Hi guys, I’m Santa for today and I have something really exciting for you in the lobby,” Tobin turned to point at the lobby where Lindsey and Sonny were busy organizing boxes by age group. Each child had an individual name tag on their box as well. “Those are my elves. Lindsey and Sonny, they’ll take care of you.” 

The children gasped, not containing their excitement. They all bulldozed their way to the lobby, asking Lindsey and Sonny a million questions about elves, “and the name of your reindeer” to which Sonny replied “Bagel Bongo, of course.”

“I think we have enough gifts for you too,” Tobin says, walking forward to the supervisor at the window. She hums, and it’s a voice Tobin knows but surprises her. She reaches forward, almost touching her shoulder. The long dark curls turn, the woman facing Tobin with kind green grey eyes. 

“ _ Chris _ ?” Tobin asks breathlessly, her brows furrowing. Christen laughs, reaching out to cup Tobin’s warm face. 

“Surprise, now let’s talk about that gift,” She presses a gentle kiss to Tobin’s mouth, tasting peppermint on her lips. “Oh a gift for you?” Tobin waggled her brows, her lopsided grin forming. 

_ “I saw miss chrissy kissing Santa Claus!” _

She cringes as she hears the seven year old whispering loud enough that security could hear him, but her eyes go to Chris. 

“Miss Chrissy?” She asks, ignoring the nudge from Christen as she walks into the lobby. 

“Don’t even try it Aunt Toto.” Christen warns with her own teasing to shut Tobin up. Tobin decides she’ll ask more later about why Christen was in Portland and not LA after she deals with all of these kids. 

Tobin sits down in the big comfy armchair, looking down at all of the boys and girls. She smiles. This was what Tobin loved. They were all sitting in a semicircle, some holding hands as they waited for her to speak.

“Ahem...well you see boys and girls, maybe my elves Lindsey and Sonny did not mention it but I’ve been sent here with a task. See I'm Santa, but I’m not the Santa. The big guy up north will still come visit, I promise that. But he teamed up with the Portland Thorns and the Portland Timbers to send me out to you!” Tobin explained in her best breakdown explanation made for kids. She absolutely hated the idea that one had to talk down to kids to get them to understand, and it came in place here. 

“Wait! I know you,” One of the boys in the back says, standing up. “You’re Tobin Heath!” He points, and Tobin smiles so hard her eyes crinkle. Christen sits on the bench outside of the playroom while an actual supervisor watched from the back. 

“Maybe I am. That’s for me to know and you to find out. If you’ve been on the nice list this year.” Tobin teases, picking up a gift from in front of her. She begins the process of reading off names and eventually Sonny and Lindsey step in to read three at a time, trying not to butcher them. Each kid got a digital printed photo of them on Tobin’s lap, signed and various donated toys from a Thorns or Timbers players. Most of the kids had no idea who Tobin was, not that she actually minded since they were so young. But those who knew were ecstatic, bursting at the idea that a player they loved was in front of them right now. 

By the end of the day, and daycare closing time Tobin and Lindsey and Sonny had donated close to 60 toys for these children and teens. The building was covered head to toe in Christmas decorations, and a menorah by the front door. Christmas music played through the halls, over a PA system and they used the coffee machine to brew small hot chocolates for the kids. Lindsey and Sonny made sure to leave gift cards for supervisors and security, the team running the building. 

“Miss Hobin Teeth I think you forgot a certain gift-” Sonnett teases, her mouth covered by Lindsey’s hand as Tobin starts packing away the present sacks. 

“Us elves are driving home, we’ll see you there.” Lindsey says, tugging Emily with her to the parking lot. The kids were off sharing, playing, and even napping with their toys. Christen came up and rubbed Tobin’s arm, watching the kids as well. 

“You did so well  _ Santa _ .” She teased, pressing a kiss to her rosy cheeks. Tobin hummed contently, nodding. 

“I did. You didn’t have to come out here for me-”

“Nonsense Tobes, I was on my way back from the extra night in the ski lodge with everyone anyway and I wanted to see what was going on. We’ll fly home together.” Christen replied, leaning down to place her chin on Tobin’s shoulder. The brunette sighed happily, placing a kiss to Christen’s forehead. “I’m never too tired for a stop in Portland, especially if it comes with a present like you.”

“Hold on, I have something for you.” Tobin says suddenly, moving Christen from her shoulder. She digs down deep into her pockets, hearing the Christmas music crescendo as the little ones played. 

“Tobin, I don’t need anything from you now. It’s not even Christ... _ oh _ ,” Christen trailed off seeing a small blue box on Tobin’s hands. 

“It’s not what you think. At least not yet. But open it.” Tobin explains, holding it out for Christen to take. The younger woman slowly opens the box, seeing the inside filled with a coiled up mala necklace. Each bead was inscribed with a name, the tassel a rainbow of colors. “You were so frustrated when you lost your mom’s that one time and I know that we have our own but think of this as one for your entire life.” 

Christen places it around her neck, her eyes brimming with happy tears at the touching gift. Tobin holds her tightly, her hand curling at the nape of her neck. She breathes in the warm scent of Christen, her girlfriend, her partner and sighs. Christen wraps her arms around Tobin’s back, laughing at the feeling of the Santa cap tickling her neck. She bats at it playfully, kissing her again. Tobin radiated warmth, sparking a fire deep in Christen’s chest. She surged forward and-

“ _ Miss Chrissy is kissing Santa Tobin Heath Clause!” _

**Author's Note:**

> thank you to Thornsfc for that tweet that couldn’t get the image of Tobin in a Santa suit delivering gifts to kids out of my head.


End file.
